Posts in Q&A
Whitney Petty of Thunderpussy Talks About Taking it to the Next Level with Their Debut LP

Thunderpussy guitarist, Whitney Petty, can go from knee-smacking laugh to face-melting solo in less than a second. The range of her creative and emotional output astounds and the joy she exudes in conversation — whether discussing the hunt for crop circles or text exchanges with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready — is massive.

During the past few months, Thunderpussy released its self-titled LP to rave reviews and undertook a national tour. And soon the band will head out on a European excursion traveling from Hungary to Germany, Ireland, and Finland. But before Thunderpussy leaves the States, we wanted to catch up the band’s stellar guitarist to find out how the summer has treated the quartet, what’s coming up next, and how the band molded its aesthetic.

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Matt Sullivan of Light in the Attic Records Shines a Light on Releases, New and Old

Matt Sullivan founded his company, Light In The Attic Records, in 2002 in Seattle. Since then, he’s rereleased unknown, under-appreciated, and utterly fantastic music — like that of The Last Poets, Digable Planets, and countless others. Light in the Attic, which started in Fremont but now has offices in L.A., was also responsible for reissuing the music of famed rock ‘n’ roll artist, Sixto Rodriguez, the star in the now infamous film, Searching for Sugar Man. And this year, Light in the Attic has another great catalog of music they’re releasing into the world. As a result, we wanted to catch up with Sullivan to get a sense of what it takes to reissue an album, how his experiences have shaped his appreciation of music, and why he likes to bring sounds back to life. 

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Dr. Dog Embark on Their Latest Chapter with Critical Equation

The Philadelphia-based rock band Dr. Dog has a new album out. The record, Critical Equation, walks the line between herky-jerky rock ‘n’ roll and sweet, smooth harmonies. And, in some ways, the through line of the album seems to indicate a new chapter with the band, both musically and in the way the band members examine how they orient themselves in the new world. To celebrate the release of the album, we wanted to talk with one of the founding members of the group, Scott McMicken, about how Dr. Dog — which is set to play Saturday, June 9th in Seattle — got together, when Scott first started writing lyrics and how the group feels now that the album is out in the world.

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Interview // Like a Trapdoor Opening: A Conversation with Ed Skoog

It’s not often you meet someone who is both poet and podcast host, but that’s exactly what you get when you encounter the loquacious writer and Portland, Oregon resident, Ed Skoog. Thoughtful and meticulous with his words, Skoog—who grew up in Kansas and has spent time in Montana and the Northwest—muses on friendship, conversation, death and rebuilding without much prompting. His most recent books of poetry, Rough Day and Run The Red Lights, showcase strength and facility with language while differing drastically from one another in tone, presentation, and form. Skoog is currently at work on his next book, Travelers Leaving for the City, which he describes as “a book-length poem about arrivals and departures, centered around my grandfather’s murder in 1955.” Skoog, who continues to co-host his podcast with John Robert Lennon, Lunch Box with Ed and John, chatted with us about his inspirations, his thoughts of home, and how Hurricane Katrina showed him poetry is essential for rebuilding a city.

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A Talk with the Directors of Prospect, a Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Movie That Was Filmed in Seattle and Screens at SIFF Tonight

In 2011, amidst unsuccessful and recession-induced job hunts, longtime friends Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl decided to form their own production company, Shep Films. At first, their Fremont-based company focused on making commercials, but the two decided they wanted to grow in more creative directions. Soon, Shep became a place where Caldwell and Earl could create short films—like In The Pines, which debuted at SXSW in 2012. Now, though, the duo have continued their development and are set to release their first feature film, Prospect (based on a short film of the same name) for this year’s SXSW. The feature—which follows a young girl (Sophie Thatcher) on an alien planet as she fends off harm coming at her from all sides—is tense, dramatic, and includes some standout cameos that I won't mention; it also stars Pedro Pascal and Jay Duplass, the latter of whom is involved with another Seattle-produced film that is also showing at SXSW, Lynn Shelton's Outside In.

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Forging the Cultural Future of Northwest Folklife Festival

Seattle’s Northwest Folklife Festival is all about discovery. The Memorial Day weekend celebration at Seattle Center focuses on diversity of programming and letting attendees enjoy things they’ve never seen, heard, or even thought about before. This year’s 47th edition of Folklife (May 25–28) features local music standouts like Whitney Monge and Tres Leches, dance classes, introductions to art from all around the world, and amazing cuisine options.

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The Sonics Bassist Andy Parypa Reminisces on The Legendary Tacoma Band's Early Years

If you put on music by The Sonics, chances are you almost immediately wonder if your speakers are going to blow out. The famed northwest band, credited by many for starting – or at least dramatically popularizing – the garage rock sound in the 60s, rose to prominence after their hit song, “The Witch,” and hit record, Here Are The Sonics, hit stands in 1964. With it came the booming instrumentation and distorted vocals of soon-to-be icons. An influence for countless groups, including Nirvana, The Sonics have remained an important touchstone when considering the Seattle-area music scene ever since. And now, nearly 55 years since the album dropped, we thought we should catch up with one of the band’s original main members, bassist Andy Parypa, brother of guitarist Larry, who founded the group in the early 60s, to talk with him about those early years creating the music, who the band’s contemporaries were and what bonded the group as they cut their first single.

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Trampled By Turtles Talk Perspective From Hiatus, Reframing Bluegrass, and Their New LP Life is Good on the Open Road

Dave Simonett, lead singer and principle songwriter behind the raucous Duluth, Minnesota-based bluegrass band, Trampled by Turtles, has come full circle. After a year-plus hiatus away from the boot-stomping group to record and tour solo, Simonett has returned to the band and, together, they’ve created a joyous, thoughtful new album, Life is Good on the Open Road, which you can stream here. When listening to Trampled, you immediately pick up the richness and fullness of the music, born from the group’s thick-as-thieves comradery. From the bumping, “Blood in the Water” to the melancholy, “I’m Not There Anymore,” the group continues to be at its best. And we wanted to catch up with Simonett to talk about the album, reconnecting with the Trampled vibe and how living on the road has impacted his life.

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Exclusive Interview: Allen Stone

Washington-born singer, Allen Stone, has a voice touched by god — or is magic, or whatever other special metaphor you want to use. His singing voice leaps from his tonsils, serenading — as if sonically sunlit — whoever is around to hear him. It’s almost like the Grand Canyon — you can prepare yourself for the grandeur, but you can never imagine it quite the way it is when experienced in real life. And Stone has a new record, slated for release this fall. He dropped the first single, performed live, mid-April. Following the album release, Stone will hit the road for a lengthy U.S. tour. But before all that, we thought we’d catch up with the golden-voiced musician and ask him about the new project, how his life has changed over the years, and when he realized he could really sing.

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GRAMMY WINNER LISA LOEB BRINGS HER MUSIC FOR “GROWN UPS” TO THE COLUMBIA CITY THEATER

If you’re over 30, chances are you know the name Lisa Loeb. Better yet, chances are you know her hit song, “Stay.” But, in case you aren’t familiar with the talented and prolific songwriter, who will play Seattle May 11th at the historic Columbia City Theater, let us say this: Lisa Loeb is the consummate professional. She writes music for “grownups,” as she calls ‘em, as well as kids and the entire family. She is a Grammy winner.

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KEXP Exclusive Interview: Krist Novoselić Climbs Again with Giants in the Trees

Famed bassist Krist Novoselić loves music. Whether it’s an accordion strapped to his shoulders or the bass he’s become world famous for playing, he loves finding new melodies and playing in front of dancing audiences. The man who rose to the top of the pop culture pinnacle with his band, Nirvana, is now grinding and building with a new project, one born out of the rural Southwest Washington Wahkiakum County. Novoselić’s new group, Giants in the Trees, has been turning heads and working its way up to the Pacific Northwest ladder, first selling out their Seattle album release show at Ballard’s Sunset Tavern and, later this summer, the four-piece will play coveted sets at both Sasquatch! and the Upstream Music Festival. We wanted to catch up with the great northwest musician and ask him about how his new band started, what its goals are for next year, and what Novoselić has learned about the music business over the past year.

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Seattle Director Lynn Shelton Talks About Her New Film, Outside In, Which Screens at SIFF Starting Today

Outside In is the new feature-length film by Seattle director, Lynn Shelton. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017, is opening in the Emerald City on April 6, and had its US premiere at SXSW on March 10. It's about a convicted felon reentering society—reentering his former hometown—in Snohomish County, Washington. But the movie, which stars Edie Falco as Carol (the school teacher) and Jay Duplass as Chris (the ex-con), is also about the fleeting and changing nature of human connections, about generation gaps, and the difficulty of parsing passion from love.

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KEXP Exclusive Interview: ODESZA on How A Moment Apart Brought Them Closer Together

There are few groups who have had as momentous a past 12 months as ODESZA. The band, which formed in 2012 at Western Washington University, recently released a much-anticipated LP, played late night talk shows, enjoyed Grammy nominations, and is set to embark on a big new tour, which begins this weekend at the WaMu Theater here in Seattle with a three-day series of shows. We wanted to catch up with the duo behind the intricate electronic group, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, and talk about their latest album, A Moment Apart, their sanity while making it, their bond as friends, and how they came to collaborate with some of their favorite artists.

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Courtney Marie Andrews Portrays Strength and Honesty on New Album May Your Kindness Remain

Courtney Marie Andrews is a rising superstar in the world of Americana music. She has one foot rooted deeply in the traditions of American folk and she has the other placed firmly in modernity. For Andrews, whose band mates hail from Seattle, her journey is one through classic songwriting and personal responsibility - all while navigating the dark, difficult world of rollercoasting mental health (more on this below). But on her latest record, May Your Kindness Remain, Andrews portrays strength and honesty in a way that captivates. And so, we wanted to chat with the singer about the origins of her music and to find out what might be next on the creative horizon.

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